Inspiring move to the new Learning Centre

Last Tuesday, children from the Summerside Boys and Girls Club braved the elements to help carry the remaining 3500 books from the old Rotary Library on Water Street to the completely renovated, new Inspire Learning Centre on 57 Central Street.

Last Tuesday, children from the Summerside Boys and Girls club helped carry 3500 children's books to the new Inspire Learning Centre. The young helper's parade of books culminated a week long move, which was previously delayed because of an early blast of winter. However, a little bit of snow was not enough to deter the children on this wintry Tuesday afternoon.

Children, some as young as five, carried the 3500 books to their new 15,000 square-foot home. Gallant Moving Company, Rotarians, and other volunteers transported roughly 35,000 books, weighing 29,000lbs earlier in the week from the old 3500 square foot library on Water street. The previous library was opened in the old train station in 1989.

This new building is not just a library.

The centre includes the library, meeting rooms and space for 17 non-profit groups and education institutions, taking up 15,000 square feet of the 27,000-square-foot building, with the federal government remaining as a tenant in the rest of the space.

Originally, the renovations to the former post office on Central Street were only going to involve the first two floors, but raising the fundraising goal from $1.5 million up to $2.5 million meant the third floor was also able to be converted into usable space.

Rotarian, Dr. Richard Wedge, said of the children seeing the new building for the first time, "They are excited to come because there are a lot more resources here than there used to be. We have classrooms… gaming stations, places to sit and read upstairs.

“People are going to find that it is a much richer experience.”

The new Learning Centre opens to the public December 20th - an early Christmas present indeed!